STONY BROOK >> Peter Hooley walked into the post-game press conference of the America East title game with a championship t-shirt on over his jersey, a hat on backwards and, most importantly, an Australian flag draped over his shoulders.

For Hooley, this was the moment he was waiting for.

For Hooley, who drained a three-point basket with 59.9 seconds left to secure the Great Danes’ 69-60 victory over Stony Brook on Saturday and was named tournament MVP, this is what he had worked for.

But despite all of that, the sophomore guard was the first one to remind everyone in that post-game press conference that this was a team victory.

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“I just wanted to make the play,” Hooley who finished with 15 points in the championship game, said. “I knew that any guy on the court could have made the same play.”

But while Hooley was practicing modesty, the people and players and coaches around him couldn’t help but sing his praises.

After all, this is a player who shot a career-high 30 points in the quarterfinals against UMBC, scored the first 13 points of the game against Vermont in the semifinal and finished the tournament averaging an incredible 23.6 points.

In fact, Hooley’s 15 points and 4-of-15 from the floor against the Seawolves in the championship game were his “worst” of the tournament.

“They did a great job,” UAlbany coach Will Brown said of Stony Brook’s coverage on Hooley, adding that he never lost hope in his player down the stretch.

“He had missed a couple and I said ‘listen man, I keep running plays for you and the next one is going in.’ He looked right at me and goes, ‘yup.’ At the most important time, he stepped up and he made a big three.”

Hooley’s performance in the tournament is all the more impressive when his off-the-court strength is examined.

A native of Adelaide, Australia, Hooley’s parents don’t often get to see him compete, especially at such a high-level and while they were supposed to make the trip stateside on Saturday, the two weren’t able to be in the stands at Pritchard Gym.

“Without getting into too much personal information, one of the biggest reasons I’m so proud of that young man right now, his mother is very ill and his father had a bad accident on the farm last week; had major, major surgery,” Brown said. “The way he played, says a lot about the young man and his toughness.”

Hooley never faltered.

Despite missed shots and chances that may have passed him early in the game, he kept shooting, he kept waiting for the play.

When he took an elbow to the face late in the second half though, Hooley was concerned if he’d be able to continue giving 110%. He went over the bench, talked to coaches and played on.

In fact, the next shot he took went in.

“Coach Friel said the knock to the head I got means my next one is going to go in,” he said. “I guess he was right.”

While Hooley was certain that any other player could have made that three-point shot in the final minute of regulation, he was still the one to make the move, to put Stony Brook’s Carson Puriefoy on his heels and make the play.

“I fell and I was out of place,” Puriefoy said of the moment. He got the a wide-open shot. He made a good move and I lost my balance.”

Hooley may be the picture of modesty for the Great Danes, but in those few moments after the final buzzer sounded, as he celebrated with his teammates and wrapped an Australian flag around shoulders, the sophomore standout took a second to take it all in and to remember what he and his teammates had worked for.

Because, after all, that’s what got him the shot in the first place.

“We weathered the storm and came out and got shots when it mattered,” Hooley said. “I’m really proud of this team.”